Criteria for differentiation of criminal liability for fraud committed with the use of electronic payment means

Abstract

The necessity of legal protection of property relations that are formed through the use of electronic payment systems established by law is due to the rapid development of the digital economy sector. The increase in crimes committed with the use of information and telecommunications technologies, marked in recent years, demonstrates to a greater extent criminal activity in the field of mercenary crimes against property, where fraud occupies a special place. The variety of new forms of fraudulent activity indicates adaptation of this crime to modern socio-legal and economic realities. Fraud has penetrated into the digital economy and poses a serious threat to the financial security of participants in this field. These circumstances have an impact on the criminal law policy of the state, which is forced to respond to emerging threats by means of criminalization and differentiation of criminal responsibility. The article discusses the criteria for differentiating criminal liability for fraud committed with the use of electronic payment methods. The author highlights and describes characteristic of qualifying features as one of the means of differentiating criminal liability for fraud committed with the use of an electronic payment method. The challenge of the research is an attempt to assess the degree of public danger of objective and subjective signs that form the basis of qualifying circumstances, as well as to formulate proposals for clarifying their definition, legal and technical application in the construction of the criminal law norm.